{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:33:55Z","timestamp":1760150035676,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]],"date-time":"2023-10-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1696809600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the University of Winnipeg","award":["31996"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31996"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Computation"],"abstract":"<jats:p>High availability is vital for network operators to ensure reliable services. Network faults can disrupt functionality and require quick recovery. Multipath networking enhances availability through load balancing and optimal link utilization. However, equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing has limitations in effectively using multipaths, decreasing network availability. This paper proposes a three-phase disjoint-path framework that improves availability by directing traffic flows through separate paths. The framework provides effective load balancing and meets various service requirements. It includes the Optimization phase for identifying optimal multipath solutions, the Path Separation phase for dividing the multipath into working and backup sets, and the Quality Assessment phase for evaluating the robustness of both sets using topological metrics and micro-based characteristics. The simulations demonstrate the proposed framework\u2019s validation and effectiveness in enhancing network availability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/computation11100202","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]],"date-time":"2023-10-09T10:48:33Z","timestamp":1696848513000},"page":"202","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Enhancing Network Availability: An Optimization Approach"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0553-9385","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yaser","family":"Al Mtawa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Computer Science, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1573","DOI":"10.1109\/TNET.2020.2987866","article-title":"Traffic Engineering in Partially Deployed Segment Routing over IPv6 Network with Deep Reinforcement Learning","volume":"28","author":"Tian","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE\/ACM Trans. Netw."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zeng, R., You, J., Li, Y., and Han, R. (2022). An ICN-Based IPFS High-Availability Architecture. Future Internet, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/fi14050122"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2408","DOI":"10.1109\/TPDS.2019.2917900","article-title":"Architecture-Based Reliability-Sensitive Criticality Measure for Fault-Tolerance Cloud Applications","volume":"30","author":"Wang","year":"2019","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"258","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSM.2020.3044232","article-title":"Comparative Performability Assessment of SFCs: The Case of Containerized IP Multimedia Subsystem","volume":"18","author":"Galatro","year":"2021","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Netw. Serv. Manag."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2811","DOI":"10.1109\/TDSC.2022.3150782","article-title":"Impact of Service Function Aging on the Dependability for MEC Service Function Chain","volume":"20","author":"Bai","year":"2022","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Dependable Secur. Comput."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01375475","article-title":"A mixed version of Menger\u2019s theorem","volume":"11","author":"Egawa","year":"1991","journal-title":"Combinatorica"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"MacDavid, R., Chen, X., and Rexford, J. (2023, January 17\u201320). Scalable Real-Time Bandwidth Fairness in Switches. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications, New York, NY, USA.","DOI":"10.1109\/INFOCOM53939.2023.10228997"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hiryanto, L., Soh, S., Chin, K.W., Pham, D.S., and Lazarescu, M. (2021, January 14\u201323). Green Multi-Stage Upgrade for Bundled-Links SDN\/OSPF-ECMP Networks. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Communications, Montreal, QC, Canada.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICC42927.2021.9500971"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Al Mtawa, Y., Haque, A., and Sidebottom, G. (June, January 30). Disjoint-path Segment Routing: Network: Reliability Perspective. Proceedings of the 2022 International Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (IWCMC), Dubrovnik, Croatia.","DOI":"10.1109\/IWCMC55113.2022.9825466"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1007\/s10922-020-09583-4","article-title":"Machine Learning-Based Multipath Routing for Software Defined Networks","volume":"29","author":"Awad","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Netw. Syst. Manag."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101956","DOI":"10.1016\/j.phycom.2022.101956","article-title":"Balancing module in evolutionary optimization and Deep Reinforcement Learning for multi-path selection in Software Defined Networks","volume":"56","author":"Praveena","year":"2023","journal-title":"Phys. Commun."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177534","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2020.3027043","article-title":"Multipath routing protocol using genetic algorithm in mobile ad hoc networks","volume":"8","author":"Bhardwaj","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163043","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2021.3133882","article-title":"An improved hybrid secure multipath routing protocol for MANET","volume":"9","author":"Srilakshmi","year":"2021","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"248","DOI":"10.1145\/321694.321699","article-title":"Theoretical Improvements in Algorithmic Efficiency for Network Flow Problems","volume":"19","author":"Edmonds","year":"1972","journal-title":"J. ACM"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"712","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.17.11.712","article-title":"Finding the K Shortest Loopless Paths in a Network","volume":"17","author":"Yen","year":"1971","journal-title":"Manag. Sci."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01386390","article-title":"A note on two problems in connexion with graphs","volume":"1","author":"Dijkstra","year":"1959","journal-title":"Numer. Math."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"435","DOI":"10.1111\/itor.12544","article-title":"Solving the edge-disjoint paths problem using a two-stage method","volume":"27","author":"Duarte","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. Trans. Oper. Res."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1896","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSM.2020.2993207","article-title":"Traffic Engineering with Three-Segments Routing","volume":"17","author":"Pereira","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Netw. Serv. Manag."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1941","DOI":"10.1109\/TNSM.2020.3001615","article-title":"Traffic Engineering in Segment Routing Networks Using MILP","volume":"17","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Netw. Serv. Manag."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106975","DOI":"10.1016\/j.comnet.2019.106975","article-title":"KeySFC: Traffic steering using strict source routing for dynamic and efficient network orchestration","volume":"167","author":"Dominicini","year":"2020","journal-title":"Comput. Netw."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Jadin, M., Aubry, F., Schaus, P., and Bonaventure, O. (May, January 29). CG4SR: Near Optimal Traffic Engineering for Segment Routing with Column Generation. Proceedings of the IEEE INFOCOM 2019\u2014IEEE Conference on Computer Communications, Paris, France.","DOI":"10.1109\/INFOCOM.2019.8737424"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1002\/net.3230040204","article-title":"Disjoint paths in a network","volume":"4","author":"Suurballe","year":"1974","journal-title":"Networks"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1002\/net.3230140209","article-title":"A quick method for finding shortest pairs of disjoint paths","volume":"14","author":"Suurballe","year":"1984","journal-title":"Networks"},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"Fortz, B., and Thorup, M. (2000, January 26\u201330). Internet traffic engineering by optimizing OSPF weights. Proceedings of the IEEE INFOCOM 2000 Conference on Computer Communications. Nineteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies (Cat. No.00CH37064), Tel Aviv, Israel."}],"container-title":["Computation"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-3197\/11\/10\/202\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T21:03:43Z","timestamp":1760130223000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-3197\/11\/10\/202"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10]]}},"alternative-id":["computation11100202"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/computation11100202","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-3197"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2079-3197"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,9]]}}}